Revealed
by Lebaas
Summary: Just a bunch of one-shots revealing how Peter Parker isn't your average high schooler.
1. Chapter 1- Stark's Cabin

"How much longer Flash?" Betty questioned for the billionth time in their four hour bus trip. She was one of those people that needed to know everything, and the fact that she couldn't find out where she was going bugged her to no end.

"We're almost there" he exclaimed the same was he had an hour ago, though this time his attention stayed fixed on his vlogging camera "Just a few more minutes, actually. For those of you who don't know I, ya boy Flash T, am taking my class on an all expenses paid, surprise field trip. That's right, I'm caring with my big bucks and I help those who are less fortunate."

"Or you're a serial killer who just kidnapped us" whispered MJ as she burrowed deeper into Peter's shoulder. She had given up her reading and hadn't resisted when Peter had put his arm around his new girlfriend shoulder.

Peter chuckled, "It wouldn't surprise me" he whispered back, "He's even managed to knock half the bus unconscious by forcing us to leave so early"

"Are you trying to imply that I'm susceptible to attack right now." MJ questioned with her eyes still closed, "Because I can assure you that I'd be ready for any attack right now"

"You sure sound like it" he bantered back

"Well that's just because I'm relying on my superhero boyfriend to save me, I'm putting you to the test"

"I'm right here" he assured her as a grin spread across his face

"At least I'm doing better than Ned" Mj continued in a slight attempt to defend herself, "He's been passed out ever since he sat in his seat."

"Ned has a talent for doing that." Peter remarked as MJ frowned. Both of them knew that Peter had been watching Ned sleep a lot lately, and not in a weird way. Peter had been suffering from insomnia ever since the battle against Thanos and even worse after Europe. Aunt May had tried to see if a friend being near allowed him to feel safe enough to sleep, and while it helped a bit, it still couldn't give him a full night's rest.

All he could think about were the what if's. What if he'd fought harder to get across the field of Thanos' army. What if he'd managed to fight Thanos alongside Tony? What if he hadn't managed to stop Mysterio and he was the cause of the world's destruction? What if he'd accepted Tony's offer to fight alongside him earlier? What if….

"Wake up guys and look out the window" Flash announced loud to startle Peter and wake everyone from their much needed sleep, even Ned.

And when they looked out the window, they saw Stark's cabin.

"Holy s**t" exclaimed Brant and two others as the cabin came into sight. However, as they 3 were the only unblipped students on this bus, they seemed to be the only people who understood the significance of this cabin.

"After the blip occurred" started Flash as he held his gopro out the window "Mr. Stark decided to retire from the superhero life and settle down. He bought a butt ton of land and built a cabin smack-dab in the center. Pepper Stark doesn't want it anymore so she sold it to Thompson and Thompson's. Now my mother is in charge of turning this cabin into a museum. And since this place needs to be cleaned before opening anyways. My mom is letting us live for the weekend."

There were screams of exhalation heard from all over the bus as Flash finished his statement.

"And just so you know" Mr. Harrison continued, as he stood up from his seat in the front of the bus "Every item in this place has been catalogued so don't you even think about taking a screw. Your parents have been briefed on this and they are all aware that you will get sued millions of dollars if you take anything. They have all allowed you to go on this trip because they assured me you are responsible, and fully capable of this type of responsibility."

Mr. Harrison's speech would have almost been moving if Peter's super hearing hadn't picked up his mumbled, "don't blow it" as he walked off of the bus.

The students scrambled to follow. Putting away their pillows and tech as fast as humanly possible in order to get off the bus. Peter, on the other hand, was frozen.

"Peter?" Ned asked in a way that only a best friend could. In that single word Ned expressed his elation to be here but that he also understood how hard it must be for Peter and how he was willing to wait for him.

Ned was the only one who knew how, when Peter and Aunt May had blipped back into existence, someone else had been living in their house. Ned was the only one who knew how Peter and Aunt May lived in the cabin with Pepper and Morgan for the few months it took to get the paperwork settled. So while Peter had been aware that Pepper was planning on selling the house. Ned was the only one who realized Peter's shock wasn't elation.

"I'm good" Peter quickly whispered back. Not wanting his fears to stop his best friend, "I lived here for 3 months, remember. I can handle this."

MJ looked up at him quisically. They had been dating for a few weeks now, but he hadn't managed to tell her everything yet. "They helped us get back on our feet after the blip"

"Ok, good" Ned continued as MJ nodded her acceptance "Because I'm freakin' out, this is Tony Stark's house! The place where he lived and breathed and ate and peed and.."

"Whoooo!" Peter laughed as he stood up to follow his class outside "I do not need to think about Mr. Stark peeing"

"Come on Penis" Flash yelled as Peter slowly walked out the door. "Take your camping gear and join Mr. H on the back lawn"

And as Peter swung his backpack onto his shoulders MJ took his hand. Maybe this wouldn't be the worst weekend after all.

This was the worst weekend. Mr. Harrison didn't want the kids messing up the cabin so he insisted they camp outside. Peter was a city kid through and through so the camping was hard enough. Topping that off, though, was the location. For, of course, the location he picked happened to be the backyard with its view of the lake. Directly where Tony's funeral was held.

Not that anyone knew this of course. Tony's funeral had only been for close family friends. It had not been publicized or announced anywhere. In fact, the day the world chose to grieve had been a week later. Noone knew how gut wrenching this site was, except for Peter.

"Peter!" Betty called loudly, announcing that this wasn't the first time they had tried to get his attention.

"What?!" he answered bewildered

"We're starting practice" she responded politely

"Yeah dickwad" Flash chorused, "Kind of the point of this whole trip"

"Practice, right, what was the question again?"

"The average human body contains how many pints of blood" MJ reads off while looking at him skeptically. MJ knew about him being spiderman, sure. But he hadn't exactly spilled the beans on how close he was with the Stark family.

"10?" Peter questions as his team had all obviously not known the answer either.

"9" MJ responds with her neutral mask firmly in place.

"Hg is the chemical symbol of what element?"

And so the practice continued. Yet Peter couldn't help his gaze from occasionally shifting back towards the lake. The lake that somewhere held the only remains of his mentor and father-figure, Tony Stark.

By the third and final day Peter was starting to get ahold of himself. The group had pitched their tents, played in the lake, gone on hikes through the woods, explored Morgan's newly emptied out playhouse, and practiced galore. He had even caught himself having a good time around the campfire last night.

It helped that Mr. Harrison hadn't let them inside the cabin yet. He was terrified one of the students would touch and break something valuable and must have signed some pretty extensive 'don't break anything' documents for the amount of lectures they got per day.

Yet Peter knew his luck would only extend so far. For the gossip around the breakfast campfire was that today was the day students were permitted inside the cabin.

"I bet it's not actually as small as it seems" Betty pondered as she glanced over at the cabin.

"I bet Tony's AI is set up inside the cabin and everything is voice command operated" put in another inquisitive student.

"Nah, they wouldn't of kept that kind of tec in a post superhero cabin. I bet the AI is more like a glorified Alexa. Just someone who can answer questions"

"Do you think we'll be allowed to take pictures?"

"I want a selfie with Mr. Stark's bedroom"

"And I" announced Mr. Harrison in a worried expression as he came out of his tent, "would not like to be sued millions of dollars. I understand that Mrs. Thompson is a huge donor to middleton high and that she desires to share this with us before it's a museum. Especially after the awful European trip you all were a part of, but I am only allowing you children the minimum. We will enter the cabin in 3 hours, explore, cook lunch there, eat lunch there, relax for an hour, then we will leave. You can tell your parents that you spent a day in the Stark household and I can tell my boss that we didn't destroy it."

"Mr. Harrison" Flash announced as he raised his hand cockily, "My mother's intentions were for us to spend an entire day within the cabin."

"Yeah, well my intention is to not get fired." Mr. Harrison retorted before taking a bite of his pancakes.

Flash rolled his eyes in response and returned back to bragging with his friends, obviously picking his battles.

The 3 hours passed in what felt like 3 seconds and soon Peter was reentering his old home. The furniture was still in its same position and the door still creaked like it always did when he entered. There were still dishes in the glass display case and the humm of FRIDAY was still audible. So, to the untrained eye, it felt lived in.

Yet, Peter knew better. For the book Pepper was working on wasn't sitting on the coffee table, and Morgan's toys were not present in her toy corner. The room smelled of fresh cleaning supplies instead of morning coffee and the pictures had all been removed.

No matter how off it felt to Peter, the class was awed as they took in the scene. Sure they had all peeped in through the windows, but to be standing inside the cabin itself was a bit overwhelming. They stood there for who knows how long, each being afraid to ruin the moment, until Mj walked forward and declared, "I'm going to the bathroom"

"Up the stairs on the left" Mr. Harrison called after as MJ continued her trek through the cabin. Mr H sighed and continued, "You all have 30 minutes to explore the house. I will start cooking lunch and whoever wishes to, can help me"

"Dude" Ned leaned over as everyone started chatting, "Show me everything"

"Well let's start in my room" Peter responded as smoothly as he could but Ned's excited giggle caused a smile to reach even Peter's face.

"All the bedrooms are upstairs, so you go first"

"Did Mr. Stark sleep up there too?" Ned giddily questioned as he hopped up the steps and trailed his hand along the railing.

"Yeah, he slept in the master bedroom with Pepper" Peter responded

"Did Morgan sleep with them?"

"No, she slept in her own room across the hall?"

"Do all the rooms have the AI?"

"Yeah dude, FRIDAY's a part of this house"

"So cool! Is Tony Stark's suit here?"

"I'm not quite sure. It wouldn't surprise me, but Mr. Stark kind of left his hero life behind when he came to live here. So I think Pepper would've said no."

"Wait? Isn't Pepper the new iron man now though? Or iron woman I guess"

"I guess so" Peter chuckled as he reached the top of the stairs, "that's why she moved away. But she only uses the suit as a last resort. She's mainly focusing on Morgan and which school to send her to right now"

"Is Morgan super smart like her dad?"

"She's super smart, like her"

"Wait, so is she going to kindergarten then? Or is she skipping straight to college?" Ned continued, hands going out to exclaim his excitement when

CRASH

The cabin went silent as Peter and Ned looked down the steps to see how a vase had just been pushed over the railing and had shattered into a million pieces. The entire student body seemed to gather as they all gazed at the remains of the vase.

Ned stared at the vase in shock and worriedly looked to Peter for guidance. Flash started cackling relentlessly. MJ made worried eye contact with Peter and waited silently at the top of the stairs. Betty started audibly coming up with ways to fix it. Mr. Harrison's breathing accelerated to the point of hysteria and Peter. Well, Peter was the only one who remained calm. After living in the house for 3 months Peter knew that FRIDAY was, in fact, able to piece together broken vases. This had happened on many occasions when Peter was over due to Morgan's antics.

In all the chaos Peter walked down the stairs to the living room coffee table, FRIDAY's base of operations. If it were anyone else Peter wouldn't have cared. But this was Ned, and Ned needed him. So Peter flipped the switch.

"Welcome home Peter" FRIDAY chimed in her annoyingly perky tone.

The room went silent, everyone now staring at him.

"Hey FRIDAY" Peter responded while the system started it's boot up process. Blue projections appearing on the surface as the table.

"There seem to be a group of unregistered people in the cabin. Would you like me to activate program name, 'leave me the hell alone'?"

"That won't be necessary FRIDAY" Peter responded. "I was actually wondering if you could fix the vase in the kitchen? A friend of mine dropped it on accident and it shattered"

"Of course Peter" FRIDAY replied as two floorboard in the kitchen slid open to reveal robotic claws that were equipped with super glue. The claws whirred and moved scanning each piece of the vase in a graphical blue projection then placing it back in its proper place. Once each piece was set the claws shone a red laser beam over the cracks until they virtually disappeared. FRIDAY then put the vase back on the top shelf where it belonged, the robotic arms disappearing back underneath the floorboards.

"Is there anything else I can help you with Peter?" FRIDAY chirped

"That'll be all FRIDAY, thanks" Peter replied and the projections that had occupied the coffee table disappeared.

The class continued to look at him in shock. Flash's mouth may even have been hanging open a little. MJ smirked in the corner.

"I told you all I had the Stark internship" Peter shrugged before walking back into the kitchen to help with lunch.


	2. Chapter 2- Peter Parker Injured

Hello all! This is set after the events of endgame and homecoming but ignores the end clip from homecoming. Aka- Tony Stark is still dead, the blip still happened, MJ and Peter are newly dating, and no one knows Peter's secret identity. I hope you enjoy!

Peter sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of his English class. Normally, Peter loved the melodic sound of that bell. Normally, the bell encouraged Peter to jump from his seat and flee from a room of unending boredom. Yet, today wasn't an average Thursday. Today, Peter's battered and bruised body refused to answer the bell's pleading calls for positivity and he stayed slumped in his chair, procrastinating any movement for a few minutes longer.

"You're not gonna believe it Peter" Ned exclaimed as he practically skipped into the English classroom. Peter instantly plastered on a smile and forced his body to leave the seat that had provided him a slight respite.

"Not going to believe what?" questioned Peter as he packed up his backpack and left the classroom

"I mean, it's not official yet or anything, because the robotics club isn't until tonight. But Mr. Johnson was just so excited he told everyone in our chemistry class."

"What?" Peter asked as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. Maybe he should've listened to Aunt May and stayed home another day. But his super healing had never failed him before, and he was normally fine after the first period.

"We're going to Nationals!" Ned exclaimed with such childish glee that Peter couldn't help but smile

"Dude, that's insane" Peter responded with a genuine excitement, "Isn't this, like, the first time the team's ever gone?"

"Yeah!" Ned continued as they turned to walk down one of Midtown's many narrow staircases, "And this means we'll get to travel all the way to Kentucky, and we'll all get a fancy trophy to put up in the display case and everything"

"When do you guys go?" Peter asked as his muscles screamed at him to stop his painstaking descension down the stairs.

"April" Ned replied quickly, "We've still got, like, so much to do and prep for. I might even have to come up with whole new designs! But, like, that would be so cool and… could I use your spider robot as a game design, or would that be plagiarism? Or would it give away your identity? Wait. Would you be able to survive for a weekend without your guy in the chair? Especially with this new villain on the loose? His serum is seriously slowing down your healing, and don't say it isn't because I can tell. Normally you don't flinch as you go down the steps. Should you even be going to gym class right now? We could tell Coach you're sick or something. I can... "

"Ned!" Peter exclaimed finally as he walked out of the staircase and turned to open the heavier than normal locker room doors, "it's not that bad. And besides, if Coach Bradford made Flash run laps with a 100-degree fever, there's no way he'd let me off the hook now."

Ned's brow furrowed in an intense sense of concentration. As if Peter's comment had only made him more determined.

"Penis!" Flash yelled as he walked into the dressing room, interrupting Ned's concentration. "Gonna change in the locker room with the rest of us today?"

Peter had gotten into the habit of changing in the stalls, so he didn't have to explain away the constant and quick healing bruises on his body. Flash had noticed and had started teasing him about it mercilessly. Normally, Peter would have sighed, grabbed his bag, and walked into the stall. He'd never liked bullies but had found it easier to not give any reaction. Today, however, Peter inner Spiderman sprang into action and he couldn't hold his quippy comments back.

"What, and let you ogle me as I change? No thanks"

There were a couple of chuckles as the surrounding students overheard the quiet Peter Parker strike back, even Ned was astonished. And with that realization Peter quickly closed the stall door and locked it with a satisfying thud.

Inside the stall Peter removed his clothes to find that his body was still in complete disarray. His toned body was near unrecognizable underneath the pattern of barely scabbed over slash marks and dark purple bruises. Peter had been lucky that the villain hadn't managed to mess his face badly, yet it was hard to think of himself as lucky when the rest of his body had taken such a beating. Sighing, Peter changed into his long workout pants and shirt in a vain hope to hide what he could. Yet, as he went to open the stall door, he realized that the long sleeve shirt he had brought was at least two sizes too small. Crap.

Why hadn't he thought of that? Of course, the shirt would be too small. Frantically he looked around in his bag to see if he had brought something, anything else that he could wear. The only thing he found was the old t-shirt from last week. A T-shirt which would show off his discolored arms like a flashing neon sign.

In the end, Peter decided it was better to have the T-shirt and a jacket than the long sleeve shirt he had originally been wearing. Besides, the T-shirt wasn't even sweaty as Peter never needed to exert that much energy doing standard drills with minimum effort.

Yet, this long pants and jacket ensemble was nowhere near the shorts and Tee shirt outfit he faithfully wore to gym class. So, when Peter walked out of his bathroom stall in this new outfit, the previously invisible Peter Parker gained a couple confused glances from his peers.

"Why not just say you forgot your gym clothes?" Ned questioned quietly as he appeared next to his friend.

"Coach Bradford has extra clothes. Remember? And besides, none of them would make me look anywhere near as good" Peter quipped as he twisted around in an attempt to show off his muscles and pose for his worried friend. Though this achieved quite the opposite effect as the quick movement causes pain to shoot through his body.

"Peter" Ned responded with a slight whine to his tone.

"I'm fine!" He quickly reassured his friend. And with that, he went to join his class in the main gym.

"What's up nerds" MJ said in her standard greeting as she looked up from her book in the corner.

"MJ" Peter said as he walked over to where she was sitting. Perhaps, if he sat with her, he wouldn't have to do as much physical activity. She would often protest these classes as they were 'simply a way to make her bend to the will of a man and was in no way a good promoter of gender-equality'. She was often successful too as she would claim period cramps. In the beginning of the year the coach would send her to the nurse's office, though he soon found that this solitude only encouraged her to act out. Therefore, when she acted out now, Coach made her sit on the bleachers and watch everyone else 'have fun without her'. It hasn't worked so far.

No sooner had Peter managed to coax his sore muscles into a sitting position than Coach Bradford blew his whistle to signify the start of his period.

"Alright class. Today we'll be prepping for our physical fitness tests. I've assigned each of you a partner and you both will time each other doing the test's activities. This is only graded on completion so please don't feel like there's a standard you have to meet; it just helps me see where you are and helps you with accountability. Once you've completed all the activities please turn in this paper to me and it should be the end of class. Everyone understand?"

There was a chorus of yeses and as such Coach Bradford started handing out the required papers, pencils, and timers. The students were shocked and slightly puzzled by this different way of running class. Even MJ, who never participates, took a paper out of sheer curiosity.

"Now" continued Coach Bradford as soon as the last student had received a paper and pencil, "here are your groups…" as the coach started revealing his chosen groups of students Peter walked over to Ned, who was always his constant companion during gym time. In fact, Peter was so sure of his partnership that, when he heard Ned's name being called, he started doing their secret handshake. Though, when the name Taylor Livendrusel was announced as Ned's partner, it caused them both to freeze mid shake. Peter then turned his full attention back to his coach.

"Madelyn Vanbarting with James Colonwell, Paul Truled with Michael Bowndel, Flash Thompson with Peter Parker…."

Flash? Why in the world was Peter placed with Flash? Did the coach really hate him that much?

"'Sup dickwad" Flash exclaimed as he reached Peter and Ned's confused faces. He was obviously still pissed about Peter's quip in the bathroom and had decided to make up for it with petty insults.

"Flash" Peter responded slowly

"I'm planning on updating my vlog after this" Flash announced, sounding as if he was bragging, "so you'd better run as fast as those pewny little legs of yours can run, okay?"

"I understand Flash" Peter began as his inner Spiderman continued to rear his ugly head, "It's so nice of you to keep your grandma up to date with what's going on in your life"

"I'll have you know I have over a thousand followers" responded Flash with a sense of cockiness in his tone

"And how many of those followers have you paid?" asked Peter as he walked himself over to the starting line. He was feeling pretty good after this bantering, more like himself and less like the stupid person who got his butt kicked 2 nights ago.

Flash's face turned slightly pink at this insinuation, "A lot of people love me Peter" he responded in a manner that was probably supposed to be insulting, but really just made Peter feel a strange sense of sadness for the boy. Sure, Peter had lost a lot, but he had Aunt May and his friends and a whole lot of people that cared for him. This bully that was walking towards the center of the track didn't even have that.

"Parker, get a move on" Coach yelled, and Peter looked around to realize he was the only one not running yet.

Peter sighed and with one final glance at Flash he started doing his laps around the gym. Peter's frustration and determination were the only things getting him through the first lap, and even the second. On the third lap Peter could feel his muscles giving out and his wounds started to peel back open. He really should've stayed home another day.

Yet, Peter had already stayed home for two days, if he was ever going to pass AP Bio he needed to be in class and taking notes. Plus, he had needed to refuel his web fluid and school was the only place he could do it.

During the fourth lap Peter had zoned out entirely and was trying his best to only focus on his breathing. Breath in, breath out, turn this corner, then that. He just had to make it through five laps and then he was finished. He flew past the starting marker and stumbled as he attempted to maneuver past two girls who were more focused on their conversation than actually completing the assignment, if only he could have that luxury. Breath in breath out, pass Ned, then Tyler. Breath in, breath out. Just make it around five times. Breath in and done.

Peter paused in front of an astonished looking Flash as he put his hands on his knees to slow down his shaking muscles. Gosh darn it, why hadn't he listened to Aunt May and stayed home? 5 laps around the track was an equivalent to two miles, such a small distance and yet Peter could feel the sweat dripping down his brow. Truly he must have been exhausted.

Peter took the papers and timer from Flash as he gestured for his partner to start running. That's when Peter noticed Flash's dumbfounded look. As Flash started to run Peter quickly looked down at his sheet.

Lap 1: 4 min 15 sec

Lap 2: 3 min 34 sec

Lap 3: 1 min 57 sec

Lap 4: 1 min 15 sec

Lap 5: 0 min 47 sec

Crap. Peter turned around the room to see that, yes, his coach was watching him. Before the spider bite Peter had been the type of guy to jog a 15-minute mile alongside Ned. He hadn't necessarily been unfit, just unmotivated. So, ever since his newfound powers, Peter had been keeping up the same slow-moving pace as ever. Today, in his single-minded focus to finish, he had accidentally run 2 miles in under 12 minutes. And he had even allowed his body to speed up as he ran, instead of slow down. Man, he was an idiot. He had even passed Tyler, the fastest kid on the school's cross-country team. Sh**

"Parker" Mr. Bradford called as he started walking over to where Peter was standing. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't do this right now.

"Sorry Coach Bradford, but I've... uhm... I've gotta go to the bathroom" Peter sputtered as he quickly made his way back to the men's locker rooms.

He'd been so stupid! Peter mentally scolded himself as he ran his fingers through his now damp locks. Why hadn't he just stayed at home! Peter knew he had to rectify the situation somehow and as such he looked down to the crumpled-up paper that was now sitting on the ground. He had to rewrite those notes! Frantically he reached for his backpack to grab a pencil. Stretch, Peter felt his scabs open up.

Oh, could today get any worse! Peter, the optimistic boy from queens, had reached his limit. He screamed! The world had been without Tony Stark for under a year and was already falling apart. Spiderman couldn't face a villain that had popped up in the chaos of the new world. Peter Parker couldn't keep it together in school. The nephew of Benjamin Parker couldn't handle the responsibility of his powers, and the ward of the stark family was failing. Peter felt himself start to cry.

"Parker" stated a voice from behind him

Peter turned to find MJ staring at him and he couldn't do anything but stare back. Why had this smart, bold, beautiful girl chosen him. He couldn't do anything right and she was going to see it now. She was going to see how hurt he was and realize that her boyfriend was a total fraud. Peter looked down as his eyes blurred with tears and he didn't know if they were because of the blood dripping from his wounds or the emotions roiling in his chest.

"You're so stupid you know" MJ claimed as she walked towards Peter and enveloped him into a hug.

And that was it. No more words needed to be said. She held him close even though her hands were probably getting wet with his blood and even though she was probably skipping out on another gym class. She held him until the bell rang to signal the end of gym class and until Peter heard pounding on the locker room doors.

"Did you lock the guys out?" Peter asked in a voice dry from crying

"Well I couldn't have any dumb idiots walking in on us, could I?" MJ responded matter-of-factly.

Peter smiled then, an unconscious smile that MJ always managed to wheedle out of him, even in dire times such as these.

"Now grab your bag" MJ commanded as she continued to ignore the pounding on the locker room door and went to wet a paper towel to clean up the blood on the bench. "Coach Bradford is probably getting the backup key, so we only have a few more minutes to get you cleaned up and out the door"

"Where are we going?" Peter asked as he allowed MJ to take charge and started packing up. Thankful that Aunt May had stuffed a thicker jacket in his backpack. She had insisted he would be cold at school, and he had realized that he needed a non-bloody shirt in order to escape unquestioned.

"To the Avengers tower of course. You need a superhero doctor to tell you what's wrong with your healing" And with that, MJ wiped up the last of the blood and the locker room door clicked open.

"Come on!" MJ insisted in an annoyed tone that Peter found oddly endearing. She grabbed his hands and guided him through the throng of boys entering the locker room and conveniently avoiding the coach that still seemed to want to question Peter about his speed.

Peter wasn't all right yet, and a crazy super villain was still on the loose. But in time, with people like MJ around, Peter knew he would be.


	3. Chapter 3- Babysitting Morgan

Peter loved the days that he babysat Morgan Stark.

It had started accidently; Peter had visited the Stark's home to borrow one of Tony's tools and had run headlong into a panic-stricken Pepper Potts. Morgan's long-term nanny had to suddenly go on maternity leave that week, and Pepper's frantic searching for a replacement hadn't yielded any immediate results.

"Peter!" Pepper had exclaimed in an overly excited tone as she saw Peter walk through the front door. Peter had halted in his tracks; positive he was going to be called out for stealing. Sure, he had been working in Mr. Stark's unused lab for over three months, and sure Happy had been the one to suggest using these tools, but that didn't change the fact that Peter always felt like he was overstaying his welcome and messing up Tony's memory.

"Peter," Pepper exclaimed again in a sort of relieved, calming tone that you used to confront a deer caught in the headlights. "I have a meeting downstairs in 5 minutes, and I can't take Morgan with me again. I've been trying to get ahold of nannies all day but none of them are available. Will you please watch her for a few hours?"

Of course, Peter had agreed, and Pepper had run off with hardly a passing glance to him. She'd kissed Morgan on the cheek, directed him to instructions on the counter, and walked off. The sound of her clicking heels slowly receding as she headed towards the elevator

The first few minutes involved Peter and Morgan just staring at each other, unsure of what to make of the other. Though, once Morgan exclaimed that she wanted to watch a show, the tension had eased drastically. After all, the show was one that Peter had watched religiously as a kid. They'd made popcorn and gotten all of Morgan's stuffed animals from her room before starting the movie, talking all the while. Then, once the show started, Peter may have accidentally become more invested than Morgan. Exclaiming loudly when a character did something stupid and hiding his head under his blanket when something too embarrassing occurred.

Morgan had giggled relentlessly and had imitated his hiding whenever it had occurred. This hiding under the blanket had led to some extreme fort making and, by the time Pepper got home from her long day of meetings, she'd found Peter and Morgan curled together under a mega blanket fort that took up the entire living room and could've only been made by the brilliant mind that was Peter Parker.

Pepper had chuckled when Peter had groggily lifted his head and smiled as Peter tried to refuse her pay. She'd even offered to drive Peter home before he'd assured her that swinging would be faster.

From that moment on, Peter was invited to the Stark household once a week. It hadn't ever been made official, but Peter always got a message from Pepper asking him to babysit on Wednesday nights. Then, at some point over the past year, the texts had stopped being necessary and Peter was simply a weekly fixture in the Stark household.

The best part was that Peter thoroughly enjoyed his time with Morgan. They'd done arts and crafts together, often getting more paint and glue on each other than on the paper, and had played hide and seek together, which is always an adventure when you can stick to the ceiling. Peter had helped Morgan with her crazy advanced homework, and she had helped him make advances to his suit. Peter had even played princess dress up with Morgan, though he would never admit this to his friends.

So here he was today, playing a card game on the floor with his pseudo younger sister, waiting for Pepper to be done with her meetings. She had claimed to be seeing some lawyers and politicians today, and Peter did not envy her at all.

Just then, Morgan drew the exact card that she needed, and her eyes lit up the way only a kid's eyes could. She and Peter had been neck and neck up until this moment and this card brought the little girl over the edge. She stood up and started doing a happy little dance that should've looked egotistical, but in reality, was just Morgan's way of expressing her joy. Peter knew that she would've stood up and been just as excited had Peter been the one to draw the winning card and not her.

And yet, Peter couldn't let Morgan dance in his face like that. So, he did what any self-respecting teenager would do in that position. He stood up, and tackled Morgan to the ground. She squealed and began to giggle relentlessly as Peter started tickling all over her body, scrunching up her face as she attempted to push him off of her.

* * *

Flash couldn't believe he was here. This was the Stark Industries lab, temporary home of the Stark family themselves and where Tony had created all of his amazing equipment. He was going to work here someday, no matter what his parents said, he was going to prove them wrong. He was going to be somebody someday, just they wait and see.

His mother had been invited to meet with Pepper Potts and, after a lecture and a half, she had allowed him to come along. This was his opportunity to charm the employers, to make connections, to let him see his beautiful, marketable face before he graduated this year. It was his time to shine.

Flash walked into the elevator as soon as his mother had closed the door to their meeting room. She hadn't introduced him to the CEO yet, but he was sure she would soon. For now, he had to make the most of his two-hour opportunity to roam the premises. His mother was always punctual with her time and would finish precisely at 5pm, so Flash just had to make sure he was the patient and dutiful son when that time rolled around.

Flash opened up his Instagram as the elevator doors closed and started taking him to the top floor. He would go top down and hit as many floors as he could, impressing as many people as he could, and he figured the top was the best place to start.

"What's up everyone it's ya boy big F coming to you from Stark Industries. I'm currently heading to the top floor where some bigshot businessmen are waiting, ready to take my first step into the big world of marketing. I'm no mama's boy waiting for opportunities to be handed to me, I'm a go getter who's in it to win it baby, just you wait and see."

And at that, the elevator dinged its resounding signal to indicate that they had reached the top floor.

"Hello," a feminine voice called from over the speakers. "This door is currently locked, have you been granted an access key?" Although Flash was sure that an AI producing any real emotion was highly unlikely, the voice sounded slightly snarky.

"No," Flash replied in the most confident tone he could muster, "Just ring the doorbell, I'm sure someone will answer."

* * *

Morgan's laughter was cut off mid giggle as a strange sound emanated from Friday's speakers.

"What's going on Friday?" Peter asked, quickly analyzing the situation as he shifted his position of innocent attacker, to a fierce protector in a matter of seconds. Ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead and shifting Morgan so that she was behind him with her back to the wall.

"An unknown figure is waiting in the elevator," Friday replied in an unnervingly neutral tone, "Do you want to let him in?"

"What, no, I mean, just, just let me see who it is," Peter stuttered as he broke his protective pose to stand up straight, realizing his fears were unfounded.

Peter looked toward the wall just as Friday projected the image of a short, dark haired boy in their elevator, talking animatedly to his phone and unaware that he was being monitored. "Flash?" Peter voiced in a confused tone as his features scrunched up.

"Ith that one of youw clathmateth?" Morgan asked in fascination as she had never gotten to interact with Peter's life outside of her home. Peter smiled as his attention was drawn away from Friday, Morgan's lisp had mostly faded through time and correction, but occasionally, when she was excited, it made its way back into her sentences.

"Yes," Peter responded. Too late realizing his mistake, Friday had been asking him if she should open the elevator, and he had just affirmed.

"Wait!" Peter quickly exclaimed as the elevator doors opened up to reveal a still vlogging Flash Thomson, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no" Peter muttered as he frantically looked around for a place to hide.

Just then, Flash panned his phone up and Peter's childhood bully got a clear view of where he was.

"Yo, check it out flashmob, we just got into the Stark family's private home. I told you I had connections. This place is so sick, I mean just look at all this ..." And at that moment Peter Parker appeared in Flash's room pan and the vlogger glanced up from his phone to truly affirm what his screen was showing.

"Peter?" Flash exclaimed in a dumfounded tone as he abandoned his phone and it fell to the carpet with a resounding thud.

Morgan giggled and shyly grabbed onto Peter's free hand as her visitor stood there in mute confusion.

"Hey," Peter responded with an awkward just wave.

"Peter Parker?" Flash asked again, as if his brain couldn't comprehend the reality that his eyes were betraying.

"That's me," Peter responded again as a tug on his arm prompted him to look down into the innocent, smiling face of his younger sister, "And this is Morgan Stark."

"Morgan Stark, holy crap no way!", Flash gasped as he walked towards the younger girl and knelt down to his knees, so he was eye level with Tony's daughter, "My name's Flash Thompson, and I'm a huge fan of your dad!"

Morgan's expression crumpled up into confusion as she glanced up at Peter. And while Peter's gut reaction caused his expression to temporarily cloud with loss, he did his best to quickly put on a comforting smile for this young girl. Because, while Peter knew the reason behind the gaping hole in his chest, Morgan did not. Her young brain couldn't comprehend why her father couldn't be there for her ballet recital and was confused when he couldn't pick her up from school. The fact that this teen was making reference to a man that she had been continuously told was gone was perplexing. Peter's thumb rubbed across the young girl's hand as it was still interlocked with his for support.

"Morgan's dad is gone right now, but I'm a huge fan of Morgan. Her pillow fort blueprints are outstanding and we're just making a batch of the world's best cookies if you want some."

Peter knew inviting Flash to stay was a bad idea, but he wanted to distract Morgan. And the timer that he had set was scheduled to go off in 20 seconds and he couldn't afford to burn them again.

"I'd love a cookie!" Flash exclaimed without ever turning his attention off of the little celebrity before him.

Morgan smiled happily as she rushed off ahead of Peter and into the kitchen. She quickly threw her batter splattered apron over her head and waited impatiently by the oven as the two older teens trailed slowly behind, "Come on, Peter!" she shouted impatiently from her post beside the oven.

It was with that exclamation that Flash finally seemed to remember Peter's existence. He glanced between Morgan and Peter several times as Morgan handed her caretaker a similarly spattered pink apron and a set of oven mitts.

"Thank you, Morgan," Peter replied as he prepped to open up the oven, "If you wouldn't mind grabbing some plates for us, I would really appreciate it."

Morgan nodded dutifully as she started her walk towards the cupboards on the opposite side of the room. Peter knew that this would give him a chance to open up the hot oven without worrying about a curious child sticking her head in and getting burnt. Though Peter knew that, even with this new task, Morgan's full attention would be on the slightly malformed cookies that Peter was pulling out of the oven.

"So how do you know Peter?" questioned Flash in a tone that Peter knew was anything but casual.

"He's my big brother," responded Morgan in a friendly tone that made Peter's heart gush.

"He's your big brother?" Flash responded again in disbelief.

"Uh huh, my dad worked with him a lot and now he comes to play with me all the time!"

"How did he know your dad?"

"Cookies are ready!" Peter quickly interjected as he set the tray on the stovetop and placed a spatula under a particularly gooey cookie. He knew that they were Morgan's favorite and walked over to the counter where she was sitting before plopping it onto her extended plate.

"YAY!" She exclaimed quickly before showing off the cookie to Flash, her apparently newfound best friend, and confided, "We added too much sugar on purpose!"

"That's pretty exciting."

"Yeah! And Peter said we can eat all but one, because we have to save at least one for mommy."

"That makes sense"

"Do you want to save one for your mommy too?"

"No. My mommy doesn't eat sweets, it's not worth the calories for her."

"Well than you can eat her cookie too!"

Taking his cue from the little girl, chef Peter (according to his apron) walked over and placed another cookie on Flash's plate, "Feel free to eat them both," Peter joked as he plopped another bite of warm cookie into his own mouth. If anyone had been keeping count, they would have surely noticed Peter's massive food consumption. He had already consumed about half a dozen cookies worth in dough and now he was devouring his third cookie in the few seconds the cookies had been out of the oven. Sure, his mouth was on fire, but the sweetness of homemade cookies was worth the pain.

"Thanks," Flash replied shakily, and the day continued on in that style. The three conversed amongst each other and joked about how good the cookies were. Morgan taught them all how to sing her favorite song and Flash showed the Stark family how to whistle with your thumbs. The oldest two boys never quite exposed their rocky history with each other, and Morgan never seemed to notice if Flash accidently started calling Peter by his school name- Penis, or when Peter gave Flash questioning glances from time to time.

After an hour and a half or so, Flash politely excused himself from their company and told Morgan to follow him on Instagram. Morgan simply smiled and said that she would as soon as she got one, because he was Peter's super cool friend.

Flash walked back to the elevator door, stopping on the way to pick up his discarded phone, knowing that these few hours spent with the Morgan and Peter had been the longest he had gone without it in months. He awkwardly waved at the two as they left to start cleaning up their mess in the kitchen. He trudged back into the elevator in a slightly dejected manner, even though he himself was the one who was leaving. Flash couldn't help but think that what he just experienced was what a family was supposed to feel like.

They were supposed to laugh alongside one another and support one another. They were supposed to make way to sugary desserts and sing way offkey for fun. Instead, he was about to return to the same salad he ate every day for lunch, across from a mother who was in a video conference with work associates. A mother who wouldn't even follow him on social media until it benefited her campaigns.

With a final sigh Flash glanced down toward his phone, only to realize that his Instagram live feed was still going. His phone had landed on a slight tilt in the lush carpet within the Stark family home, and the view into the kitchen couldn't have been better if he'd tried.

Flash knew he should be proud that all the people online now knew he was friends with a celebrity. Maybe even two celebrities if Morgan's claims about Peter's closeness to the Stark family had been true. But all he could think about was the fact that he now had proof of a time that he was truly happy. So, instead of replying to the thousands of comments he currently had or turning the camera towards himself, he simply turned off the live feed and stuck his warm phone back in his pocket.

Flash knew that he would see Peter again in school tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, he would be a bit less of a dick to the boy.

* * *

_Well ladies and gentleman and more, we've done it! Hope you enjoy! Much thanks to Rapidasher for the grammar. _


	4. Chapter 4- Aftermath

Shout out to Rapidasher for her unwavering support and ability to grammar. Without her, this story wouldn't be nearly as good.

* * *

Peter doubted if anyone else was aware of the blaring television set next to the phone box in the corner of the room. The decathlon team practiced in this gym every day after school and Mr. Harrington loved having the TV on. The space was so big that the reports normally turned into background noise, especially seeing as how the decathlon team practiced on the stage on the furthest away wall. And yet, Peter's super hearing couldn't help but take in every word the reporter uttered. Mr. Harrington kept asking review questions, the team kept practicing, Flash kept reading his magazine and the world kept turning. Yet, all that Peter could focus on was the clear-cutting voice of the news announcer as she summarized last night's events.

_"…__the unfortunate death of Natalie Tailor, a seven-year old girl from queens. The Tailor family was attacked at 9pm last night by 6 escaped convicts from Lincoln Correctional Facility__. During the struggle one of the attackers, a man named Kyle Johnson, shot the young girl in her attempt to escape. A toxicology report claims that all 6 of these men had high dosages of cocaine in their system during the time of the attack. Thanks to the help of our friendly, neighborhood Spiderman all 6 of those criminals are back behind bars. And yet, Mark Tailor, the little girl's father, is claiming that without Spiderman, his daughter would still be alive."_

_ "__They were only after our money. If Spiderman hadn't shown up, the guns wouldn't have been fired at all. It's his fault that my little girl is just…"_

The power turned off and Peter realized that, while he had zoned out, MJ had stood up and walked over to the TV.

We don't need that thing bugging us while we're working," she claimed before returning to her seat.

"I can't believe that Spiderman is slipping," called out Brad as he walked into the room. The offhanded comment caused Peter to cringe inside.

"He's not slipping!" Flash replied in ferocity as he set aside his magazine.

"Well, you heard the dad, Spiderman caused the criminals to attack," Brad replied, trying to defend himself as he took his seat on the stage.

"You don't know that that happened, Spiderman saved both of those parent's lives and saved future people by putting those criminals back in prison!"

"But the girl still died." This time, it was Peter who spoke up and everyone looked confused. Peter barely spoke up in class, unless it was to answer a question. Yet, here he was- not only talking out loud, but also stating a pretty strong opinion.

"The girl could've died anyway," Flash replied indignantly

"Well, we won't know that, will we?" Peter continued as Brad sunk into his seat across the table, "Because the little girl is dead and it's all Spiderman's fault."

"Spiderman is a hero who puts his life at risk every time he goes out on the street," Flash shouted as he angrily stalked towards the stage. "He didn't shoot that little girl."

"He may as well have!"

"Well, he didn't. Spiderman is not responsible for the actions of other people, especially not criminals."

"Well, he's responsible for his own actions and it's Spiderman's fault that he didn't see the 6th criminal in the shadows. He should have been more observant. If he would've noticed, that little girl would still be alive."

"Stop talking about what-ifs. Spiderman saves lives. Period. End of story."

"Not end of story. The story ends when you realize that the little girl is dead, and your hero is just a fraud in a skintight suit."

"My hero has a dope suit and he has saved plenty of others in the past." By now Flash was at Peter's side and yelling right above his chair.

"He didn't save this one!"

"Fine, maybe he didn't. But at least the little girl died fast then."

"She didn't die fast you idiot. She died slowly as the blood drained from her wound."

"You can't know that."

"She died as her parents were cradling her in their arms and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't..." Peter cracked and bent over in his chair.

The room went silent as everyone began to take in Peter's statement. Flash looked bewildered, Susie Anne suddenly realized that Peter's disappearances were not because he was a male escort, Brad realized that the hero he had picked on was the boy sitting beside him, Ned looked petrified, and the room seemed to be undergoing all stages of shock at once.

MJ was the first to recover. She sighed and walked up to Peter. She pulled up a chair and winced as it squeaked mercilessly in the silence. She sat tentatively beside her boyfriend, putting her arms around him as he wept.

"You're not Spiderman," Flash stated dumbly as he looked down on the face that was his hero.

Peter didn't move, but MJ simply looked up and gave Flash the most disapproving and predatory look she could manage- which was quite a stare- before returning to stroking Peter's hair.

"You're not Spiderman," Flash stated again indignantly.

The room was still quiet, and Mr. Harrington finally seemed to snap out of his reverie and walked up to the stage. Whether he was going to comfort a grieving student or give him over to the authorities, even he didn't know.

"You're not Spiderman," Flash stated for a third time. "Spiderman is a witty hero who stands up for the innocent and looks after the neighborhood. Spiderman flies around town and is awesome and cool and…"

"And what, Flash," Peter yelled as he swiftly stood to counter his childhood bully. "And what?"

It was only then that the class truly understood the height of Peter Parker. He had always slouched in his seats or hid under hoodies. Peter never really stood as confidently as he did now. So, in that moment, as Peter stood intimidatingly over Flash, the class got a glance under the persona of their shy classmate. They glanced the Spiderman.

"Spiderman can't be you," Flash replied in a tone much meeker than before. As if he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to state a fact.

"You're right. Spiderman can't be me," Peter gasped out with eyes still red from tears, "because I'm a screw up, a loser, a mess up, an idiot and a no one. Spiderman is supposed to be this hero who saves people, but I lost the little girl, I lost Mr. Stark, and I…"

"And you saved us in Washington," MJ interjected as she could no longer stand seeing her confident and goofy boyfriend beat himself up like this.

"And you saved Liz's dad from the flames even after he tried to kill you," Ned piped, remembering back on Peter's countless stories throughout their friendship.

"You fought Thanos even before you blipped," MJ continued as she thought back on the most astounding moments from Peter's personal accounts, "and you held the gauntlet itself as you saved the world in the Battle for Earth."

"You save about a person a school night and around 3 a night on the weekends," Ned spoke up as the math geek in him came out. He had never intended for Peter to know he was keeping tabs on his saves, but as Ned lived vicariously through his friend's stories, he kept a close account of Peter's accomplishments.

"She died because of me," Peter replied in a shaky voice, but the fact that he was still on his feet meant something.

"So, make sure it doesn't happen again," MJ stated practically. "It doesn't change the fact that you're a hero, just means you still have more to learn. It just means you have to be better."

With that statement Peter flashed back to his first open and public mistake as Spiderman. He had been trying to catch vulture and, in the process, had nearly destroyed a cargo ship full of people. Mr. Stark had been there to save the day but, without Ironman, hundreds of people would have died.

_"__I just want to be like you," _Peter had blurted out once his mentor had finished cleaning up his mess.

_"__And I want you to be better." _

Better. Peter realized he would never be perfect, there was no such thing. And yet, if Peter could continue working. Maybe, just maybe, he could become better. He needed to continue saving more lives than he lost, and he needed to keep trying.

So, when Peter finally glanced up from the floor that had held his attention for so long, he was filled with a newfound vigor. A newfound hope. And he was going to need it as he looked out over the damage he had caused.

Two minutes ago he had blurted out his secret identity.

"So, um, hi," Peter said with a small wave, as if he were addressing his teammates for the first time- and in a way, he was.

Suddenly, Peter noticed Brad backing towards the cardboard box in the corner of the room. Peter had never been so thankful of Mr. Harrington's no phone policy. Mr. Harrington had realized the distractions phones were and, as he could never tell if students were cheating or texting, he decided that said box would hold all of their phones during the practice sessions.

Peter quickly tapped his wrists together so that his web launchers activated, and he shot an upwards grenade web at all 4 corners of the box. Therefore, when the phone box was pulled upward, it rested haphazardly onto the ceiling as if the box were cradled in a hammock on the ceiling.

The team all seemed to glance between Peter and the webs now hanging from the ceiling. If there was a question in anyone's minds about the identity of the masked spider, that question was cleared away now.

Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had never been good at public speaking, but he couldn't freeze up now. For better or for worse, these were his teammates, and he needed their help.

"So, I know there's nothing I can do to make you all keep my secret. But I really just want to graduate high school. I want to stay in Queens with Aunt May and I want to keep being the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. If the world finds out who I am they might say my powers to much for a 16-year-old, so I'd be pulled away for experimentation. They might also decide to place me with the avengers, which would be cool and I'm probably going to join them after graduation, but that would mean I have to leave my school, my family, and my city.

"My enemies might also go after those that I care about and I don't want my family or friends to get hurt because of my actions. That's not fair to them. So, I'm asking you to _please_ keep this a secret. I know that I messed up yesterday but MJ's right. I can do better and I will do better. Please, just give me a chance."

"Plus," MJ continued in a bored tone, "we're his teammates and classmates. So, if anyone figure's out Peter's identity _we're_ the ones who will be targeted and killed."

"Yeah," Ned continued in an overly excited and yet panicked tone, "I mean, when Peter was fighting those projection elementals in Europe, the bad guy figured out his identity and started to target our trip. We were purposefully moved to all the battle points and the bad guys even tried to put us in the kill zone!"

"That's not possible," Mr. Harrington replied in a slightly panicked tone as his mind was whirring to process the word vomit that had just escaped Ned's lips. "We were upgraded."

"Upgraded by Mr. Fury so that I would help fight," explained Peter as the team looked at him in panic."But I made sure that you were all far away from the action in the opera house when everything went down. And the one in London wasn't supposed to happen. I had just gotten run over by a train in Denmark so I didn't know what was going on and it won't ever happen again because I killed Beck before he could obliterate the city."

"Who's Beck?" Yasmin asked in a deceivingly calm tone.

"Mysterio," Peter replied. "He wanted to take over the world, so he pretended to be a hero. Then he created destruction in order to be the one who pretended to fix it."

Yasmin nodded decisively, taking all of Peter's information in stride before announcing, "Of course I'll keep your secret. The world was hectic after the blip happened and people just started taking whatever they wanted. The world was a scary place, and no one was really able to stop the panic of the city. But, after Spiderman blipped back, crime dropped. I feel safe when I have to walk home from school. So of course I'll keep your secret Peter. And thank you."

"Spiderman saved my cousin's life a couple months ago. So, I'll keep your secret Peter," Zoha said as she smiled gratefully at him.

"You're a cool dude Peter. I'll keep your secret," Josh replied.

Brad agreed with Yasmin, Zach agreed to keep tight lips, Susie Anne was glad that Peter was more moral that she gave him credit for, and even Mr. Harrison said that he wouldn't tell the authorities- though he highly suggested Peter get help and gave Peter the number of his personal therapist.

Finally, Flash was the only one in the room who hadn't agreed. He just continued to glare at Peter in a mad and uncomprehending way. It was as if Peter had done some unspeakably awful thing by admitting his identity. And yet, after a time of silent expectation, Flash commented, "I could never do anything to harm Spiderman," and his face broke into a smile. "So, can I see your webs? Are they a part of you? Do they ever run out? How do you create them?" And loads more questions that Peter could only smile at. It was if Flash had turned into a second Ned and was intrigued to learn all there is to know about his favorite superhero.

Peter started answering them in a bewildered fashion as he made his way to where their phones hung from the ceiling. Peter expected he would never get used to a nonabrasive Flash. And he definitely wouldn't get used to Flash calling him by his name as opposed to whatever cruel nickname the bully deemed appropriate.

And, as Peter crawled onto the ceiling to take the phones down, he felt a sense of relief. Sure, having his teammates know may be a little reckless, but having their support meant the world to Peter. He promised that, somehow, he was going to prove himself worth of their secrecy. He would keep getting better and better and really, that's the best anyone can do.

* * *

PS- I know that last chapter I promised more Morgan and Peter fluff. So don't worry, there is still more to come. I just felt particularly inspired to write this story and needed to get it out here. Love you all and I hope you enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5- Psychiatrist

**Psychiatrist**

"There should be a limit on how many funerals a person can attend," sniffled Peter Parker, his voice cutting through the tangible silence of the room.

"Why do you say that?" asked the woman on the sofa across from him. She had a clipboard in her hand and a concerned expression on her face. After four months of therapy, Mrs. Margerrie had genuinely begun to care for the fun loving boy that so often graced her office. His mood today, though, seemed a drastic comparison to the student she so often witnessed. Today, he had red rimmed eyes and was eerily silent. His posture was askew and he draped himself across the school's small couch.

Peter's eyes glazed over and the tears of a few moments ago returned, cutting off any response Peter may have given. He had been in her room for 20 minutes already and within 10 minutes she would be forced to kick him out in favor of another. After all, there were many students in midtown high who had been affected by the blip and she was only allowed a half hour time slot for each.

"I'm just tired of people dying."

Mrs. Margerrie was silent, waiting in anticipation for Peter to elaborate.

"I know that I have it better than most people, I'm not trying to complain or anything, I'm really not. It's just that- Well, I'm tired of being left alone. It was one thing with my parents. I didn't really know them and I knew there was nothing I could've done to prevent their deaths. But with Uncle Ben, and now with Mr. Stark…"

Normally, Mrs. Margerrie would have asked _why_ her patient felt this sort of responsibility. But with one glance at the clock, the psychiatrist knew that she didn't have time for in depth probings, she had to nip this suicide-inducing mentality in the bud.

"Peter, you must not blame yourself. No matter how responsible you feel, I can assure you that they would not want the weight of their choices on your shoulders."

"It's just-If you have the ability to stop things, and you don't, then the bad things happen because of you."

"That's too much for one person to handle Peter."

"But I have to handle it!" Peter exclaimed, breaking his calm demeanor and sitting up in his seat.

"Why?" Mrs. Margerrie replied calmly.

Peter leaned back in his seat then, fingers tapping an incessant rhythm onto the arm of his chair. He took a ragged breath. "I could've stopped the mugger who shot my uncle."

The psychiatrist remained quiet. How had Peter never brought this up? They had spent the better part of four months together. She was almost finished with the semester at Midtown High and Peter had never shown any _major_ signs of psychological trauma before.

"I was at the gas station and the cashier was being a real jerk. So, when the man behind me robbed the store, I did nothing to stop him. I didn't warn the cashier, I didn't call the cops. Instead, I purposefully walked the other way. Not two minutes later my uncle does the right thing- the thing he taught me my entire life to do- he sticks up for the little guy and tries to stop the mugger. He died. He died two blocks away from me and I didn't do a thing."

Tears were streaming down Peter's face and his next inhale judders like a flag in a storm. Grief seemed to trap his body into stillness and only his eyes revealed the hurricane of emotions inside.

"And the worst thing was, he was only out because I ran away. I was so stupid and scared and, and if I hadn't run off we wouldn't have even ran into that mugger in the first place."

"Peter, you can't control the actions of other people. You were not the one who pulled that trigger."

"I might as well have."

"But you didn't. Death is not your fault. It's an inevitable part of life."

This got the young boy beside her to calm down. In his passion he had leaned forward, almost off the edge of his couch. Now he seemed at a precipice, he could either continue this argument and fall off the edge, or succeed and return back to the familiarity of the couch that had been his companion for so many months. Peter chose the latter.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Margerrie. I know you must have another student coming soon."

"Peter," the woman sighed as she crossed the room to place a hand on the boy's knee.

"I just, I really miss him, you know?"

"He sounds like a great man."

"The best!" Peter sniffled.

"Tell me one of your favorite memories."

"With who?"

With who? Wasn't Peter just talking about his uncle? He was a child when his parents had died and, by his own admission, he remembered very little about them. "Whoever you miss most," the psychiatrist replied tactfully. "One way to honor those we've lost is by treasuring our memories of them."

"These meetings are private, right?" Peter responded hesitantly.

"Yes Peter," Mrs. Margerrie nodded, still confused but remaining quiet. "I am obliged to stay silent, unless you are talking about hurting yourself or someone around you. I do this because I care about my students and would never want harm to befall any of you."

"Well," Peter began before hesitating again. This boy was a puzzle that was slowly revealing itself before her very eyes. She was starting to assign explanations to each of her student's small tells and she was starting to see behind one of the boy's many layers.

"Go on," Mrs. Margerrie prompted as she knew she had but minutes left.

"Did you know that Mr. Stark's favorite food was cheeseburgers?"

At this, the psychiatrist was stunned into silence. Today, the school had held an assembly for Mr. Stark and all students had gathered in the gym. The slideshow was supposed to be educational, a sign that you can succeed with hard work and sacrifice. How would this boy know the hero's favorite food?

"There was one time that we were working on stuff for my internship, and we got into a debate about which fast food place made the best burgers. He decided we had to test our hypothesis and it would be his most groundbreaking research yet. We ordered two cheeseburgers from every fast food place we could think of and, when they came, we each ate them bite by bite and rated them on a variety of things. We made a huge table and even tested a few of the cheeses in the lab."

At this Peter chuckled. His eyes were still red-rimmed but Mrs. Margerrie could tell that the boy's depressed mood was fading away. In its place was a simple fondness for the mentor the world would never know. It was no wonder that the boy had broken down today. If her or any of the school's psychiatrists had known that someone in the bleachers had a personal relationship with Tony Stark, they would never have hosted the assembly in such a careless way.

It had been a slideshow with random facts and bits of information, stock art images and overplayed music. The whole school had watched replayed footage of Pepper Stark saying her official goodbye, but had quickly been forced to go about their day afterwards. To the school, Tony Stark was an influential man who the students could look up to in order to become successful. He was simply a model of hard work. He was a lesson. But to this boy in front of her, Tony Stark wasn't just a lesson, Tony Stark was a man. A man who was able to laugh and cry and be human like the rest of them.

"How long had you been working with Mr. Stark?" Mrs. Margerrie asked, unable to control her curiosity.

"Since sophomore year."

"I'm sorry for the Stark memorial today. I realize it may have been insensitive."

"It's alright. I already attended his funeral, so I should've just gotten all my tears out then. And besides, I know Mr. Stark was famous. I should've expected it."

"You never have to apologise about having feelings, Peter. It's a part of what makes us human."

With that, the school's psychiatrist looked at the clock and realized their session was over. She stood up and walked back over to her couch, picked up her clipboard and pen, and began to write.

"Come back next week with one more good memory from each of the people you mourn. Something that makes you smile. I look forward to hearing your stories."

"Thank you, Mrs. Margerrie," Peter responded with a grin as he picked up his discarded bag and walked to the door.

"Of course Peter, I look forward to seeing you soon!"

With that, Peter walked out the door and one of the school's freshmen walked in. He was another student that was reeling with the aftershocks of the blip and, therefore, another student that the psychiatrist felt called to help.

She was, of course, happy to see the other teenager waiting. She just couldn't help but be sad to see Peter Parker walk out the door- a geeky teenage boy that had just revealed another of his many layers to her.

* * *

It would be another four months before Mrs. Margerrie could unveil another layer. The day started out like any other Monday. There was breakfast and a rainy car ride, conversations with students and gossip with teachers. It wasn't until the fourth period that things started to get interesting. That's when the announcement occured.

"May I have your attention, please? We are currently moving into a lock-down situation. Please do not panic and listen closely to this announcement and your teacher…"

As the principal droned on, Mrs. Margerrie turned her attention back to the student in her session, Peter Parker. Peter was a boy who had lost both of his father figures violently at the hands of criminals, therefore, a boy she expected to panic in such a situation. Yet, Peter's face seemed to slip into a mask of neutrality and the boy didn't even stir in his relaxed pose on the sofa across from her.

"Peter?" she probed calmly, "Let's move to the corner of the room so the intruder can't spot us."

The boy nodded and stood up to join the teacher as she locked the doors, closed the drapes, and sat in the corner of the room. He even aided her by turning off the lights. Mrs. Margerrie knew the dangers this world could pose, she'd faced them all too often in her neighborhood. She'd even been saved by Spiderman on several occasions. The psychiatrist was calm because she'd faced worse, but she couldn't quite comprehend the calmness of the boy in front of her.

They sat in silence for several minutes before they heard footsteps down the hall. Footsteps that only paused when their doorknob started to jangle. Mrs. Margerrie placed her body in between the door and her student but, after several terrifying moments in which both members in the room couldn't even bear to breathe, the door remained unpassable and the intruder moved on.

The silence wore on, becoming a tangible being that seemed to prey on the fears of her and her student. Mrs. Margerrie hoped against hope that this was a misunderstanding, that she had simply forgotten about a scheduled drill. As the speaker crackled to life once more, her prayers were unanswered.

"Help," whimpered a young voice, "someone help me." At the sound of this young girl's voice, the psychiatrist froze. She knew that voice. That was the voice of one of her students: a sophomore girl who hadn't been blipped but had specially requested counseling. She was a girl who had been badly abused by one of her parent's' exes and who wouldn't handle the pressure of being kidnapped well.

She was about to get up and help the girl herself when another voice replaced the girl's on the soundsystem. A gravelly voice that sounded ruthless and heartless, a voice that would not hesitate to kill anyone in his way.

"You heard her, Spiderman," the voice growled in an echoing tone that Mrs. Margerrie could only assume indicated a broadcast. Midtown High was one of the few school's that could connect to the news' broadcasting channels. It was installed for the purpose of downloading and research, but if it could work one way, it could work another. And with that terrifying revelation, the school's employee knew why her school had been chosen as the site of a kidnapping, to make it viral.

"Help her, Spiderman. Come to Midtown High and save this little girl within the hour or this will be the last time you hear her voice. Every hour you wait, I kill another student. Your time starts now."

She gasped in horror. Sure, there had been villains who'd threatened Spiderman in the past. Villains who'd goaded the city's hero or simply had little impulse control. But this man, this man was calm and collected. A man who would bide his time and set traps for the spider. And, from what Mrs. Margerrie could tell, wouldn't hesitate to follow through on his threat.

"Mrs. Margerrie, I have to go," announced Peter as he stood up from his spot in the room and crossed over to where his backpack lay discarded.

"No you do not!" The woman whisper screamed as she attempted to pull her student back down into the corner. "There is a psychotic killer on the loose in our school. There's no way I'm letting you out there!"

"Technically he's in the office guarding his hostage."

"That's not the point!"

"Mrs. Margerrie, you don't understand."

"Like hell I don't understand!" The psychiatrist had never raised her voice at a patient before, let alone a child, but today was no ordinary day. Today the psychiatrist was dealing with a student actively trying to put himself in death's path.

"Mrs. Margerrie, please."

The boy stopped moving completely and stared at her. His eyes had transformed. They were no longer the playful eyes that would gleam when he talked about Star Wars or his girlfriend. Today, the boy's eyes were steely and hardened. They were sad eyes that had seen the crap hand that the world had dealt him and still had to play the game through till the end.

"Why?"

"Please!"

"Not until you tell me why."

Peter's gaze intensified. He seemed to measure her worth and analyze if she was really who she claimed to be. It was a look that she had given her students plenty of times. A look that asked if they could be trusted and taken at their word.

After what felt like a lifetime of searching, Peter nodded. He took a deep breath and replied, "I am Spiderman."

This statement was enough to confuse the psychiatrist into releasing her grip on the boy. Peter used this opportunity to slip towards his backpack and towards the attached bathroom. He grabbed the zipper and yanked it open, pulling a red and blue suit out of the bag in two fluid movements. Movements that were so practiced that the psychiatrist knew he had done them thousands of times before.

Yet, even as the psychiatrist's brain reeled to identify what her eyes were seeing, she couldn't quite force herself to believe it. Even as the door flipped back open to reveal Peter Parker's head on Spiderman's body. Even as the boy walked towards the window while pulling a mask over his head. Even as he flew out the window and down to what should have been his death. The psychiatrist's brain struggled to comprehend the gravity of what she'd just seen.

How could the man that had saved her life be the same kid she'd visited weekly for the past year? How could the man she'd seen flipping over buildings be the same child that struggled to talk to a girl during his group project? It didn't make sense.

And yet, in a way, it did. Over the next hour, as she heard the crashing and clanging from the fight across school, she started to puzzle the pieces of Peter Parker together. His constant comments about responsibility. His hero complex and his desire to help everyone in school. The appearances of Spiderman being mostly in the evenings and the constant exhaustion visible behind Peter Parker's overenthusiastic personality. The days that he called in sick were directly after a fight. He often wore long sleeves. Little by little, the pieces all came into place to reveal a picture clearer than she had ever seen before.

How had she not realized it sooner?

* * *

An hour and several explosions later, Spiderman came climbing back into her room. His suit was torn in places and he had blood dripping from one of his legs, though the man- boy- seemed otherwise unscathed. He walked calmly to the center of the room towards where his backpack lay but, instead of removing his suit, he appeared frozen in place. The gaze of his webbed mask appeared transfixed to the discarded bag and his body was as immovable as a statue.

"Welcome back, Peter," Mrs. Margerrie announced, breaking the silence as she walked over to put away the papers on her desk. "I hope everything went well."

"Y-yeah" Peter stuttered, "It went great."

"I'm glad. The principal asked us to send our students home after the altercation today. The school's speakers were damaged in the fight, but he wished to make sure you were all accounted for before we sent you home."

"I'm accounted for."

"I can see that. Can you take off your mask, Spiderman?"

Peter's head slowly turned towards her at this comment. His feet remanded as steadfast as stone, but his arm reached up to grab his mask as he continued to make eye contact with the teacher who had been his companion these many months.

"You know." Peter stated once the mask was off his head, as if he couldn't quite comprehend the fact that she was there.

"I do."

"Are- are you going to tell anyone?"

"There's a thing at school called student-teacher confidentiality. Whatever gets admitted during our sessions is not something I can talk about with my colleagues."

"I thought that, if I was risking my life, confidentiality no longer applied?"

"Peter," sighed Mrs. Margerrie as she looked at the scared boy in front of her, "Take a seat."

The teen sat down dutifully, giving the teacher a respect that very few high schoolers possessed.

"Peter, do you remember November 16th?"

At this Peter's eyes scrunched in confusion. It was obvious that he did not remember that day, and why would he? There were so many people that this boy saved on a daily basis. Why would he remember one story out of a thousand?

"November 16th was the day that I was nearly raped. My car had broken down that week and I was forced to walk back and forth from the bus stop in order to commute from school. The criminal had backed me into a corner and demanded money, which I gave freely. However, he wanted more. He backed me into a corner, Peter, and I was so scared. Do you know what happened next?"

Peter simply stared at her as comprehension overtook his features, "Someone stopped him."

"Yes, Peter, someone stopped him, and do you know who that person was?"

Peter shrugged.

"It was you. Ever since that night I've thought of what I could say to my hero. How I could thank him for saving my life."

"You would've lived." Peter mumbled.

"No. I would have survived, but that's not the same thing as living. Do you understand me, Peter?"

Here, Peter finally manages to make eye contact with his mentor; a woman who has stayed by his side for just over a year and a woman who he now trusts with his most intimate secret.

"I understand."

"Good. Because I think I've finally found a way to repay you for saving my life, Peter."

"How?"

"I'd like to be your confidante. I'd like you to unload all your superhero 'crap' onto my shoulders. I'd like to hear your fears and sorrows as well as your heroic moments. There are so many heroes in today's world that suffer mentally and I do not want this to be the case for you. Let me help you, Peter."

There was a pregnant pause in the room as Peter dissected the words that his Mrs. Margerrie uttered with a sense of incredulity. He seemed in awe that an adult would not only keep his secret, but would also be willing to help him through it.

"That would be nice," he confessed with a slight smile on his face. "That would be nice."

"Now, do you need me to drive you to the hospital?"

"No, I heal fast. I should be fine by tomorrow morning."

With an astonished glance at the boy's leg, Mrs. Margerrie noticed he was right. The cut that had been there but moments ago was now a quickly healing scab.

"Well, can I take you anywhere?"

"Stark Tower?" he questioned hesitantly. It was a well known fact that the Stark Tower had been bought by another famous company. Yet, its famous title had been so imprinted into the public mind that it was hard to think of the tower as anything but the home of their former hero- especially as the top two floors were still owned by the billionaire's family and often housed the heroes who were staying in town. It made sense that the boy wanted to go there. There was a medical room fully stocked with, what she could only assume to be, superhero medication.

"Very well," approved the psychiatrist as she picked up her briefcase from the counter and started walking towards the door, closely followed by an excited Peter Parker.

"Peter," she asked before opening the door, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" he asked as he flipped his backpack around and started rummaging through his school things.

"Your suit?" she laughed as she gestured to his superhero attire.

"Shoot!" Peter exclaimed as he quickly bolted to the bathroom.

It was a wonder he had managed to hide his identity for so long. He was such a flighty kid. In a few seconds the door swung back open and Peter announced, "I'm ready!"

With another chuckle the psychiatrist stepped out the door with Peter Parker trailing behind. A boy that she loved dearly and a boy that she now knew to also be her idolized superhero. A child who geeked out about Star Wars and a man who had just faced one of the cities most feared criminals just moments ago.

She was glad it was Peter though. The world was in capable hands if Peter Parker was the one protecting it.


End file.
